From the Lithgow Mercury on October 12 1953; In 1953, the women residents of Park Avenue in the Blue Mountains village of Blackheath decided their street needed a little beautification. Let’s face it, the very word ‘avenue’ suggests a tree lined promenade. Perhaps they also felt a

One feature of cooking during the Great Depression, especially in rural areas, was home made kitchen ware. I especially like the flour sifter; Kerosene was widely used in Australia for heating and lighting, and the empty tins provided the raw material for all manner of makeshift household

Have you ever visited Angel Place, just off Martin Place in Sydney? Its hanging birdcages are a touching memorial to the city’s lost birds, forced ever westward over the years of white settlement. If you listen carefully you can hear their recorded songs and calls over the

JUST LET ME BE! Honestly, the resident pied cormorant at Blackheath duck pond is the crabbiest looking creature imaginable. There is really no cause to be miserable in such delightful surroundings, especially in spring when the cherry blossom is out. I have no idea if this

Like most Australians the ubiquitous Weber bar-b-que was part of my life for many years. And yes, it even produced our Christmas turkey on a couple of occasions. But somehow we lost our passion for bar-b-ques

Vegemite was developed by Australian businessman Fred Walker, in opposition to the UK’s Marmite. It was first sold in 1924. I was amused to discover that he briefly marketed it as Parwill (as in Pa will, Ma might.) In October 1926 an advertisement in Sydney’s Sunday

Hello, Editor Des here. I have to be very brave about writing this, because I am still a bit traumatized. Well I went to Sydney with my guardian Pauline Conolly this week week. She wanted to do a bit of shopping and other stuff at the big

The bush was grey A week today Olive green and brown and grey; But now the spring has come this way, With blossoms for the wattle. By Veronica Mason. One of my favourite trees is Acacia pravissima, also known as The Oven’s wattle. It can withstand the

I visited Eskbank House Museum in Lithgow recently. The oldest part of the colonial Georgian house was built circa 1842, from local sandstone. The original owner was Mr Thomas Brown, who established the Eskbank Colliery. There is a lot of early Lithgow history on display, but

What a privilege it is to be part of New South Wales History Week. It’s an opportunity to speak on subjects close to my heart, and this year a chance to see a part of the state I have never visited before; Singleton in the Upper Hunter.